


Judgement

by smallameangel



Series: Frans Week Short Stories [4]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Big Brother Sans, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Pacifist Frisk, Sans-centric, Undertale Pacifist Route, the Judgement Hall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 15:17:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9663257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallameangel/pseuds/smallameangel
Summary: Day 4 forfransweek'stumblr challenge!Sans does his best to remain an impartial judge as Frisk repeatedly comes back to him for help.





	

Sans was the only judge in the kingdom. Granted, there had been other judges before him, so it was not as though he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He had been trained for the position and was more than qualified, after all, but he still felt apprehensive about his role as he calmly watched the young human make their way through the Underground.

He was a judge, but he was also a normal monster, and he felt deep within that this human child, the first that he would ever judge, deserved, no, _needed_ a friend more than anything else. The middle-aged skeleton closed his eyes pensively, blocking out the golden rays of light filtering through the stained-glass windows as he reflected on their journey so far. Mettaton was the only one left standing between them and Asgore, and despite the fact that they had refused to hurt anyone so far, Sans wasn’t so sure that the kid’s ideals would be upheld this time around. They were exhausted from constantly being attacked for no reason other than being human, and that devilish robot had been trying to kill them for quite some time now. Still, if that kid could pull off another Mercy, he’d be proud. He’d let them walk right through and meet with Asgore, no questions asked.

Light footsteps echoed through the magnificent marble hall, mingling with the song of the birds just outside, rousing the tired skeleton from his impromptu slumber. He hadn’t meant to nap against the column, but hey, it had been one hell of a long day, following that scruffy kid around, trying to make sure they stayed out of trouble while still leaving them the freedom to make their own decisions. That sort of objectivity in his actions was draining, but he had to uphold the rules of judgement. Every human that entered the Underground was to be judged by an impartial monster. He was hardly impartial at this point… Heck, he was really rooting for the kid to make it through since they’d been so nice to his brother, and he’d even kind of taken them out to dinner, though that hadn’t panned out the way he had hoped, but still… He was a judge.

Sans effortlessly pushed off the column he was leaning on with his left foot and strolled down to meet the one to be judged. He eyed them carefully as the pair stood before one another in the middle of the great hall, their shadows stretching far taller than either of them would ever grow in their lifetimes. The human child looked to be far beyond tired, their clothes scuffed and ripped in various places. Their chestnut, shoulder-length hair seemed even scragglier than before, but despite all of that, their face was calm and serene. Had they made peace with the idea of their impending death? What was a human child so young doing trekking through a monster-filled mountain?

The tense skeleton gave his limbs a good shake before hiding his boney hands deep in his jacket pockets. 

* so kid, you managed to get here without making a violence. i’m proud of ya for that, but you don’t look like you’re taking as much care with yourself as you are with others.

He paused a moment, waiting patiently for the human before him to reply, but they remained placidly neutral at their comment. Sans shrugged in defeat. He didn’t know the kid all that well, so it came as no surprise to him that they wouldn’t answer.

* alright. i’ll let that slide for now, but kiddo, you’re about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. your actions against Asgore will determine the future of our world. will you give up and let him take your soul, or will you fight him and leave this mountain behind?

The young human clenched their fists and slowly nodded. What could they possibly be thinking now? Sans sighed and nodded back, his plastered-on grin finally relaxing into a more genuine smile.

* either way, i’m rootin’ for ya, kid. make whatever choice you think is right for you.

And with that, he stepped aside, his hollow gaze following the child’s light footsteps as they disappeared down the hall and into the next cave. The accomplished judge teleported home in a flash of blues, his grey sneakers squeaking slightly as he shuffled about his secret lab. He made for his usual drawer and pulled out his notebook, scribbling down all of what was said and done in an attempt to keep it recorded forever.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of pain seared his bones from the marrow outward. He shut his eye sockets in an attempt to stave it off as he slumped against his workbench. The next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes to the sound of light footsteps, golden light unexpectedly flooding his vision. What had just happened? What was he doing? Ah. He was going to judge the human. He pushed off the column with his left foot, his hands still clutching to the notebook he had been writing in just a few moments ago.

Sans looked at his hands, finally noticing the mass of bound paper. He opened it up quickly and read as he walked towards the human. He had already talked to them once, apparently. It was a blessing to somehow have his notebook on him. He wasn’t even sure what he had been doing with it. As far as he could remember, he had left it back in Snowdin. The gears in his mind ground to a halt. The kid had died, hadn’t they? They’d given up, somehow.

Snapping the notebook shut as he arrived before the tired and dirty looking human, Sans sighed. He’d better judge the kid again. That was his job, after all.

* hey kiddo. glad you could make it. hope mettaton wasn’t too rough on ya…

The young human’s impassive stare bore into his eye sockets, causing his spine to tingle. Sans shook his limbs and shoved his hands deep into his jacket pockets, his notebook tucked between his arm and ribcage.

* heh, welp, guess that was the wrong person to talk about. are you going to try again? nothing’ll happen if you stop your journey here.

He felt his smile broaden as he watched the child clench their fists and nod. Moving aside, the human ran down the hall in a flash and disappeared into the next tunnel.

Sans already had his notebook in hand, so there was little point in going back home for the time being. He settled down against his usual column, opening the heavily used, leather-bound notebook. Fine phalanges nimbly scribbled all of the details of this recent judgement, adding to his notes. The former scientist even jotted down some notes on the human’s possible ability to time travel before a blinding, searing pain overwhelmed his body once more.

There he was, slumped against his favorite column, the burning in his marrow subsiding as the sound of light footsteps echoed in his earholes. He shook his skull, pushing off the column and walking over to the shadowy figure as he rifled through his notebook. It had happened again. Somehow, this kid had found a way to anchor their life to this one moment in time. Sans felt somewhat flattered that the squirt had somehow chosen their judgement as a restarting point, but what more could he say to spur them on?

The monster stood before the human and gave his limbs a quick shake again, settling his bones into a more natural, relaxed state. The burning in his bones had quickly subsided, but he still felt much more tense than usual. Sans looked the kid over carefully before sighing, making sure his voice wasn’t too rough before speaking. This kid had gone through enough already; he didn’t need to add to their stress level.

* look kid, it’s sweet of you to start back from this point, but i dunno why you keep coming back here. it’s not like i’m a fountain of inspiration or anything. heck, i don’t even know exactly what i’ve said to you the past two times you passed through.

The kid seemed visibly shaken by this revelation. Perhaps he should have kept that detail to himself. It was clear that this human had found a point to come back to where they felt safe. The hall was bright and cheery, for all intents and purposes, and Sans supposed that the company he gave, even if fleeting, was better than nothing. He was the only one who had never attempted to hurt the child, after all. 

He sighed deeply, the vague sense that he had done that before, in another timeline, clinging to his bones.

* just… don’t be like me. i’ve been watching you as you made your way through the underground. giving up isn’t your style. find a way to change your outcome.

Small, fleshy hands balled into fists, the child’s head nodding solemnly as birdsong drifted through the air. Was he giving them courage? Were they coming back to this place in time just to hear him judge them? Sans’ tiny white pupils shone brighter at that thought, and once again, he stepped aside. 

* hey, kid. i never caught your name. mind telling me? y’know, in case we do this whole dance again.

Their face lit up at those words, their usually serene expression morphing into one of pure happiness. The child nodded fervently, little dimples appearing at the base of their puffy cheeks. Sans had never seen the kid smile before, but he could get used to that. That look of pure joy was definitely worth repeating.

* Frisk. It’s Frisk, they whispered, their voice as light and airy as a feather blowing through the wind.

And with that, the young Frisk set off down the hall once more.

Sans settled back against his usual column, writing in full detail what had just transpired between him and Frisk. He made sure to write the kid’s name in big letters so that it drew his attention immediately. Chances were, Asgore would kill them again and he’d have another conversation with them.

Once again, searing pain overwhelmed him. This time, Sans couldn’t help but double over in pain as he clutched at his ribs. His skull felt as though it were filled with magma, his marrow searing in his bones. Light footsteps echoed in his fluff-filled head. He grunted in confusion. What had just happened? He thought he was taking a quick snooze in anticipation of judging the human. A vague feeling of deja vu washed over the aching skeleton as he stood up, his notebook immediately catching his attention. All of this had happened before, hadn’t it?

He made his way over to the kid once more, reading through his notes as quickly as possible, « FRISK » scrawled at the top of the last page in large, bold letters. The two beings stood in silence for a while, the only sound between them a few sniffles from Frisk. This conversation was getting harder and harder to have.

* kid, throw me a bone here. my journal says you’ve come through here three times already. i’ve judged you three times kid… what’re you coming back here for? are you waiting to hear something specific from me, ‘cause i dunno what else to say at this point.

Sans kneeled down in front of the scraggly child, a soft smile growing on his boney face. he really didn’t want this kiddo to give up.

* i mean, i’m assuming i’ve given you all of my spiels… so, what’re you lookin’ for kid?

He watched carefully as Frisk’s placid expression morphed to one of sadness. Sans felt his SOUL drop in his ribcage as the child before him began to cry, big, fat tears rolling down their sun-kissed cheeks.

* I’m looking for a reason to live, the young human hiccuped, their voice trembling as they rubbed the tears out of their eyes with their singed and dirty sleeves.

The surprised skeleton sighed, pinching his nose ridge with his left hand. He was right. This kid needed a friend here. 

* do you not have anyone to go home to?

His SOUL sank further as he watched the child shake his head.

* oh frisk… kiddo… we’re all rootin’ for ya. if you can make it through this, you can stay with pap ’n me. come on, i’m done judging you. let’s go see king fluffybuns.

The sad skeleton held out his left hand and watched as Frisk hesitantly placed their fleshier hand in his.

* Together? the child begged, their tears slowly drying as their hazel eyes burned into his SOUL.

* yeah kiddo. together.


End file.
